A MUM plunged into a lake in a south Liverpool park in a bid to rescue a swan savaged by a dog.

Kit Frierly waded through the water as the swan lay dying in Sefton Park lake – the victim of a vicious attack by a bull terrier-type dog.

Kit, who was walking in the park with her 10-year-old daughter Rachel, at first waited for the RSPCA to arrive. But after two hours she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Despite dragging the injured bird to the safety it later died.

It is thought the dog mauled the swan at about 7.30pm – although police officers were not called until 9.40pm.

A 31-year-old man who was in the park with his wife told the ECHO: "We were walking round Sefton Park lake and saw there were two swans on the other side of the lake with five or six cygnets.

"There was a pitbull-style dog that went towards the swans and started barking.

“Its owner was in her late 20s. She pulled the dog away,but carried on walking towards the swans. The dog overpowered her and went for the swans and dug its teeth into one of the adult swans.

"It had hold of it for 20 or 30 seconds. People went towards it. Somebody managed to grab the swan and rip it out of the dog’s jaws and got it into the lake. It was harrowing to watch. The swan was really badly injured.

"I think it's another example of this type of dog being uncontrollable – just imagine it going for an infant or a baby.

"There really should be a designated area of the park for people letting their dogs run loose. It shouldn't be anywhere near Sefton Park.

"It was a dark brown or black pitbull or Staffordshire terrier dog."

Merseyside police today appealed for the owner of the Staffordshire terrier type dog, or any witnesses to the incident, to come forward.